Laugh at the news from the last week of May 2026 with Jimmy Kimmel for Flashback Friday

Yesterday, I asked "Jimmy Kimmel, anyone?" Not reading anyone respond "no," that's what I'm doing. I'm working backwards through his monologues this week, beginning with last night's Trump’s Approval Rating Hits New Low, America’s 250th Party is a Mess & Iran War May Be Over Soon?

We are now officially 159 days from the midterm elections, Trump’s approval ratings have sunk to an all-time low even though he has “done more” than any President ever, the DOJ is now going after one of Trump’s victims E. Jean Carroll who accused him of sexually assaulting her, in honor of our country’s 250th anniversary the Treasury Department is looking to print special Trump $250 bills, they’re also lining up entertainment for the “Great American State Fair” and the lineup is shaping up to be a real dud, there will be a mass pardoning ceremony as part of the semi-quincentennial celebration, the US and Iran have reportedly reached another tentative deal to potential[ly] end the war he says we won three months ago, the State Department posted a very upbeat message for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, RFK Jr can’t stop picking up snakes, and another edition of This Week in Florida.

That's a good poll result for participation in this November's midterm elections and a bad one for Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump, whose approval rating is about what I think he deserved all along. Speaking of approval, I don't think a proposed law to allow his face on a new $250 bill would get past the Senate and given how narrow the Republican margin is in the House, it would be a close call there, especially now that Thomas Massie has lost re-nomination. As for "This Week in Florida," "Florida Man" stories usually involve someone doing something criminal, stupid, and outrageous. Not this week — no criminal activity at all and the Florida Man doing something stupid was the cop. Good thing for the woman he pulled over that his body cam was working!

That's the national news. Jimmy K went local the night before at the end of Jimmy Kimmel Breaks Down Spencer Pratt's Run for LA Mayor & Trump Assembles His Cabinet of Clowns.

Trump met with his cabinet amid his war in Iran being a mess and his approval rating being in the toilet, Hegseth got an angry phone call from Trump after he cancelled the deployment of 4,000 troops who were about to leave to be stationed in Poland, Jimmy had a brief back and forth with RFK Jr. online that caught the attention of Fox Business, Senator John Cornyn of Texas lost his primary to a Trump-endorsed Ken Paxton, he will now face off against Democrat James Talarico, and Spencer Pratt is running for the Mayor of LA.

I've only mentioned Pervert Hoover's narcissism twice, but Jimmy mentioning that one out of every six sentences in his Cabinet meetings is either praise or an attack on his enemies reminds me of one of the criteria for narcissistic personality disorder, need for admiration. He displays that and all the other criteria in abundance!

As for Jillian Michaels and Fox Business calling Kimmel not funny, then why does this video have 2,721,170 views, the one above have 1,936,029 and counting, and the one below 3,086,200? Conservatives hate-watching them? Yeah, right.

The one time I mentioned Ken Paxton here, I looked at his name being floated for Attorney General despite his legal troubles and snarked "Jailbirds of a feather flock together." I'm sure I'll have more to say about the Ken Paxton-James Talerico contest for Senate in Texas between now and November, but I only have until Tuesday to comment on the primary elections for California Governor and Los Angeles Mayor. The former has made Drink, because Tom Steyer is running on National Mojito Day 2019 popular again, although that's probably short-lived; Xavier Becerra is now in first with 23%, quite a jump from 2% a year ago, while Steyer is now in third with 15%, with Steve Hilton second at 20%. The top three in the Los Angeles Mayoral Primary is a lot closer.

The latest UC Berkeley-L.A. Times poll of likely voters has the three candidates at the top almost within the margin of error so anything could happen leading up to Election Day. The top two candidates will move on in the race.

In the poll, Mayor Bass is at 26%. Right behind her is Nithya Raman at 25%. Then Spencer Pratt at 22%.

The margin of error for this poll is 3% so this race is wide open with a clear top three.

After hearing Jimmy describe Pratt's reaction to the fake Mayan Apocalypse of 2012, I hope he comes in third so I won't have to mention him again except in defeat.

This week began with Trump Skips Don Jr’s Wedding, Attacks DUMOCRATS on Memorial Day & Claims His Physical Went PERFECTLY.

The Knicks completed a second consecutive sweep to earn a spot in the NBA Finals, Don Jr and his new bride Bettina were married on Saturday on an island in the Bahamas and Trump did not make it, they have begun construction on the arena for the big UFC fight scheduled for Trump’s 80th birthday next month, we are now on week thirteen of Trump’s “little excursion” in Iran, he posted a message to social media for Memorial Day, he gave himself a glowing report about his health after his physical, RFK Jr. decided to pick up snakes at Dr. Oz’s house, and after months of delays the Trump Mobile phone is finally shipping to customers.

Dumentia — hah! I'm keeping it.

Follow over the jump for top shares of posts about Kimmel on social media during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

'SNL' mocks the Signal group chat in its cold open and Weekend Update

Last night's Saturday Night Live began by mocking last week's top U.S. political story in Group Chat Cold Open.

A group of teenagers (Mikey Madison, Sarah Sherman, Ego Nwodim) get added to a group chat with Secretary Pete Hegseth (Andrew Dismukes), Vice President JD Vance (Bowen Yang), Secretary Marco Rubio (Marcello Hernández) and Editor of the Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg (Mikey Day).

Where's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz? Didn't he start the group chat? I guess he's not known, disliked, or funny enough to be parodied in the skit. On the other hand, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is all three, which is one of the reasons both this scandal and Hegseth are called Whiskeyleaks, a nickname alongside Kegseth. Hegseth deserves his own label on this blog and I think I'll use Kegseth.

SNL continued mocking Whiskeyleaks, both Hegseth and the scandal, in the first segment of Weekend Update: Pete Hegseth Sends Attack Plans on Signal Group Chat.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visiting a Salvadoran prison.

At least Waltz made the preview image along with Hegseth, JD Vance, and Marco Rubio, and had a couple of jokes told about him, although I think the one about Hegseth was funnier. As for Kristi Noem's photo op, Michael Che's quip about OnlyFans reminds me of what Steve M. wrote at No More Mister Nice Blog yesterday.

It's obvious that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's visit to El Salvador's brutal Cecot prison was part of the the Trump administration's effort to keep pumping out images of performative machismo in order to appeal to Trump's multi-ethnic, multi-generational coalition of male voters (a "badass" woman in skintight clothing is a familiar trope in male-coded popular culture)...The Trumpers know what boys like.

A conservative female politician using her sex appeal? I've seen that before.

Weekend Update continued with Will Smith's New Album, 23andMe Goes Bankrupt.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like three girls trying to stab [their] mother after she turned off the Wi-Fi.

Will Smith's new album alone qualifies this entry as the Sunday entertainment feature, but so does Jost's rant about Paddington and to a lesser extent, Melania Trump's campaign against deepfake revenge porn plus more over the jump.

Too bad 23andMe filing for bankruptcy only got a throwaway line; I guess the privacy concerns weren't funny enough. On the other hand, Joann's bankruptcy earned an entire segment, Joann on JOANN Fabric and Crafts' Bankruptcy.

Joann (Ashley Padilla) stops by Weekend Update to discuss JOANN Fabric and Crafts announcing store closures.

I wish SNL gave all the casualties of the Retail Apocalypse that much attention. Imagine the one of the teens from the cold open bemoaning the loss of Forever 21!

Follow over the jump for more highlights from last night's show plus the top posts from the 14th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News featuring SNL.

Trump mediates between Musk and Rubio in cold open plus Lady Gaga on 'SNL'

As I promised yesterday, I'm sharing the highlights of last night's Saturday Night Live. I begin, like the show, with Trump, Musk and Rubio Meeting Cold Open.

Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) attempts to keep the peace between Marco Rubio (Marcello Hernández) and Elon Musk (Mike Myers) during a meeting at the Oval Office.

While I still appreciate Michael Meyers playing Elon Musk's as an Austin Powers villain, as I've written three times before, "'I know you are but what am I?' was a lot funnier when Pee-wee Herman said it." At least James Austin Johnson as Trump called him out on it.

Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump and Musk both made headlines in Weekend Update: Trump Causes Tariff Confusion, Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship Explodes.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Donald Trump Jr. considering a presidential run in 2028.

That's one of the best responses to Weekend Update I've heard from an SNL audience in a long time. I chalk it up to a great week for material, good writing, and the Lady Gaga fans being vocal. Being "little monsters" isn't all bad!

Weekend Update continued with Heterosexual Man Sues Starbucks for Discrimination, Scientists Create "Woolly Mouse".

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like research suggesting men who have stronger sperm tend to live longer lives.

On the one hand, I was right to be worried about Sesame Street; I just didn't think it would happen this soon. On the other, I'm glad to see progress being made on mammoth de-extinction — science!

While the news about Sesame Street and Amazon already qualifies this entry as the Sunday entertainment feature, the next segment solidifies it, since I treat sports as entertainment. Watch Kendrick Perkins on the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

Kendrick Perkins (Kenan Thompson) stops by Weekend Update to discuss the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

That was complete nonsense and utterly hilarious! Let's see if Lord Gaga on His Unwavering Support for His Wife Lady Gaga, a premise I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone use before, works as well.

Lord Gaga (Mikey Day) stops by Weekend Update to discuss supporting his wife, Lady Gaga.

Once again, this continues the tradition of making Colin the butt of the joke. Also, it worked. Lady Gaga's fans loved it.

Follow over the jump for more.

Colbert, Meyers, and 'The Daily Show' take more closer looks at Project 2025

I telegraphed today's topic to conclude U.S. birth rates resume falling while life expectancy increases for World Population Day 2024.

I promise to return to Project 2025 tomorrow now that I've finished celebrating three holidays over two days. Stay tuned.

I'm revisiting Closer looks at Project 2025 and President Biden post-debate as Meyers, Colbert, and Stewart return from break with more from the late-night talk-show hosts. Time to work the eye!

I begin with Stephen Colbert at his desk explaining Project 2025 Is Trump's Blueprint For A Radical Conservative Takeover Of The U.S. Government.

Donald Trump claims to know nothing about Project 2025 but the truth is that over 200 of his former staffers are laying plans for a far-right takeover of the entire federal bureaucracy should the GOP candidate win in November.

Stephen, tell us what you and your writers really think!

Seth Meyers featured both convicted criminal Hoover Cleveland and the Project 2025 logo in the preview image for Trump Returns to Campaign Trail with Deranged FL Rally, Dems Meet on Biden's Future: A Closer Look even though it's not in the title.

Seth takes a closer look at Trump reappearing on the campaign trail with a deranged speech in Florida while Democrats are predicting doom in November.

It's been a long time since I mentioned Ben Carson AKA Doctor Pyramid here, so thank you, Seth, for giving my readers and me another chance to laugh at him, especially since he's one of the authors of Project 2025. Hoover Cleveland can't run away from Project 2025 the way Doctor Pyramid ran away from the reporter.

The Daily Show also examined Trump's Confusing Project 2025 Response & W.H. Dismisses Biden Neurologist Visit.

Desi Lydic & Jordan Klepper cover Trump’s contradictory tweet about Project 2025, President Biden’s Parkinson’s panic, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s shitty house guest. Michael Kosta also helps Desi & Jordan get to the bottom of all of Biden’s medical house calls.

While I'm glad Desi Lydic and Jordan Klepper made Project 2025 the core of this opening segment, they, like Colbert and Meyers, couldn't resist or avoid the drama around President Biden's candidacy. At least Klepper and the show's writers came up with something useful, "Google Ghislaine Maxwell." Hoover Cleveland wished her well, too.

I conclude with my recycled reaction from MSNBC examines Project 2025, part 5.

"I know nothing about Project 2025" — Convicted criminal Hoover Cleveland is doing his best Sergeant Schultz impression about Project 2025.

That means what John Oliver, MSNBC, and bloggers like me have been doing is working. Good. That encourages me to keep it up. As Tom Sullivan at Digby's Hullabaloo says, Time To Work The Eye.

As for Hoover Cleveland (un)truthing "I have no idea who is behind [Project 2025]," check out MSNBC's list of chapter authors.

All of them have worked for him, so of course he's lying. He's not fooling anyone but himself and his most devoted followers.
...
I leave my readers with the following list Digby embedded in Incomplete Cheat Sheet.

As I've written before, yikes! No wonder it's unpopular!

I promise to keep working the eye, but it might not be until Monday, as I might move up the Sunday entertainment feature to tomorrow because Sunday is Bastille Day. I already have plans for the last of three patriotic holidays I celebrate on this blog during July. Stay tuned.

'SNL' opens with a Trump victory party after the South Carolina Republican Primary

I wondered what I would do today at the end of PBS Terra explains 'How An Ancient Ocean Shaped US History'.

Stay tuned for the final Sunday entertainment feature of February. I could still compile a highlights post of tonight's Saturday Night Live, but I'll see if I'm feeling it tomorrow.

I'm feeling it. Watch Trump Victory Party Cold Open.

Senators Tim Scott, James Risch, Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio (Devon Walker, Mikey Day, James Austin Johnson, Marcello Hernandez) discuss Donald Trump over a meal.

It's enough to make me feel a bit sorry for the actual politicians, as much as I've made fun of them, particularly Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio. Then I remember what they did for party unity and discipline — party over country — and I don't feel so sorry for them anymore.

The cold open was ostensibly a victory celebration of Donald Trump winning the 2024 South Carolina Republican Primary, so it's time to watch Weekend Update: Trump Wins South Carolina Primary, Biden Raises $56 Million For Campaign.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like the Alabama Supreme Court ruling frozen embryos are children.

I was wondering if the South Carolina Republican Primary would be called early enough for it to be the lead story on Weekend Update. I shouldn't have been concerned; it was called just after 9:00 P.M. EST. On the one hand, that's not great for Trump; he's not getting the numbers Joe Biden got. I'm recycling my comment from George Santos sues Jimmy Kimmel and Trump sells sneakers for the other hand.

Nikki Haley is staying in for the same reasons Liz Cheney is opposing Trump: "As I wrote in July 2022, 'In Liz Cheney's case, she'd like her pre-2015 Republican Party back. I doubt she'll get it any time soon, so she'll settle for damaging TFG instead. I wish her luck.' She's certainly doing her best." Too bad her best won't be good enough to win the nomination.

But it might be enough to damage Trump. I hope she's happy with that. I know I am.

Weekend Update continued with Zombie Deer Disease, Red Lobster’s Endless Lobster Experience.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like a study showing women benefit from exercise more than men.

"Zombie deer disease" is formally known as Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease. That's as bad, if not worse, than COVID-19 in deer. Cooking deactivates viruses, but not prions. Yikes!

The joke about putting Romeo and Juliet where no one would see it on Paramount+ is a funny version of a whine I wrote six years ago and repeated the next year: "'The Good Fight'...only seems to earn Emmy nominations for its music. At least the musicians are watching the show; other branches of the Television Academy don't seem to be watching." Something similar has been going on with the Star Trek shows, as the hair and makeup artists are nominating it, including two Emmy nominations for Star Trek: Picard last year and five nominations for Star Trek: Picard in 2020 including two for makeup, one for hairstyling, and two for sound. At least the the Saturn Awards committees were watching and nominated the franchise for a bunch of awards and people like me voted for them. Let's see if the next season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fares any better with the entertainment professionals.

SNL hasn't uploaded the interviews from Weekend Update yet, so I'm ending this post with Trump Sneakers.

Things turn around for a struggling man (Shane Gillis) when he's gifted a pair of magical sneakers from Donald Trump.

"White Men Can Trump." Unfortunately, a lot of us can. Sigh. Also, SNL couldn't resist a "Biden is old" joke. Double sigh.

Enough topical humor. Stay tuned for a more evergreen post tomorrow.

ABC News and TODAY on 'locking the clock' as Daylight Saving Time begins

I concluded Invasive species riding plastic debris from Fukushima 11 years later by telling my readers "Stay tuned as Daylight Saving Time begins tomorrow, a practice Colbert says 'is not helpful and has no upside.'" Anyone who has been reading my blog for the past decade knows that I used to like Daylight Saving Time, but have become much less of a fan of switching the clocks back and forth. My readers also know that I'm not alone in thinking and feeling that way. ABC News reported on that sentiment, asking Daylight Saving Time: Make it permanent?

ABC News’ Will Ganss has details on the new effort in Washington to stop changing the clocks.

That's a succinct yet very thorough summary of the bad health and safety effects of changing times and of the level of support for ending the practice.

NBC News' TODAY had even more on the topic in It's That Time Of Year Again: Inside The Daylight Saving Time Debate.

On Sunday morning, clocks in 48 states will spring forward, causing millions to lose a precious hour of sleep but gaining more sunlight in the evening. The adjustment to the time has many sounding off on whether it’s worth the trouble, including sleep scientists who say by not moving clocks forward, the sunrise and sunset stays in line with our circadian rhythm. NBC’s Joe Fryer reports for TODAY.

Between the two reports, both Senate sponsors got their say, showing that support for "locking the clock" is bipartisan. Also, TODAY gave more time to the pro-Standard-Time side of the debate, which also needs to be aired. As the TODAY clip mentioned, the U.S. tried "permanent" Daylight Saving Time in 1974 and didn't like it. I remember walking to school before sunrise growing up in Southern California and found it a strange experience. It would be worse here in Michigan, where the sun wouldn't rise until 9:00 A.M. during early January. Ugh.

Whether we like it or not, the time is changing tonight. Let's see how long that lasts.

Reactions to the U.S. Government report on UAPs for World UFO Day

Today is the second of two World UFO Days. Why two? National Day Calendar explains.

World UFO Day commemorates two separate dates. The first, on June 24th, recognizes the first widely reported UFO sighting on this same day in 1947 by aviator Kenneth Arnold. On July 2nd, the date commemorates the incident that took place in Roswell, New Mexico, in the same year.

I can see why two different UFO Days; both are important in the early history of the phenomenon and should be recognized. National Day Calendars singled out today's observance by writing "The creators of the July 2nd event launched it to raise awareness of UFO sightings and remove speculation from them." That makes me feel better about postponing my observance from June 24 to today, which I based on reports that the House Intelligence Committee's report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) would come out later that week. It did, as CNET reported in The Pentagon UFO report explained on June 26.

Are they aliens? Spy planes? What *are* those unidentified aerial phenomena we've been seeing lately? We break down the report commissioned by Congress to get to the bottom of UAPs and the people who report them.

CNET not only presented a good summary of the findings, but also an excellent timeline of how and why this reported ended up being produced. For some reason, I'm not surprised it started off with Marco Rubio adding the request to a budget bill. His doing so adds to the ambivalence I feel about the subject.

On the one hand, I feel the same about addressing the official interest in UFOs as I do about "Fauci's emails and...the Wuhan lab-leak hypothesis, two narratives that I want to give as little attention to as possible." On the other, I have described this blog as having a "science fiction slant" on its Facebook page, so writing about the topic is on brand.

I hope this is a case of a stuck clock still being right twice a day, just as Senator Rubio is on Daylight Saving Time. On the other hand, it might end up being like his positions on gun control and Cuba, which I disagree with. Only time will tell, although the kind of supporters the report has makes me wonder and worry.

Follow over the jump for more news reactions to the report.

Lawmakers introducing and passing bills to stop changing clocks as Daylight Saving Time begins

Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins tomorrow and, as I have for the past few years, I'm documenting efforts to stop the switching back and forth between DST and standard time because of the time change's deleterious health effects. Today, I'm sharing news from Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. Since I live in Michigan, I begin with WXYZ's Michigan lawmaker introduces bill to end Daylight Saving Time changes.

Get ready to lose an hour this weekend as Daylight Saving Time is almost here, but if one state lawmaker has her way, it could be the last chance in Michigan.

State Representative Hoitinga cited health reasons for ending DST, which WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids covered in Studies: Daylight Saving time can lead to health issues.

We'll spring forward overnight into Sunday. Could that loss of sleep hurt your heart?

Joe LaFurgey promised another segment about state lawmakers introducing bills to either stay off DST or make it permanent. He and WOOD-TV delivered with Time to change time change? Michigan senator says yes.

Daylight saving time takes effect early Sunday morning, meaning you'll lose an hour of sleep as we spring ahead.

Hoitinga said she was looking for a State Senator to support her legislation. She might already have one in Jeff Irwin, who I know from covering him for the now-defunct Examiner.com and who I last wrote about when he proposed legalizing marijuana six years ago. I hope they find a way to work together across the partisan divide.

Follow over the jump for stories about ending the switching back and forth from outside Michigan.

CNN's Parkland Town Hall wins a Cronkite Award

I concluded 'Meet The Press' earns a Cronkite Award for its coverage of climate change by telling my readers "I'm not done with the Cronkite Awards.  Stay tuned for more winners tomorrow."  Today's featured winner is the CNN Parkland Town Hall.  Here is the description from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

CNN Parkland Town Hall, a two-hour special, aired only seven days after 17 students and teachers were murdered by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In this “compelling and powerful” forum, moderator Jake Tapper deftly gave generous space to speak to gun control advocates, politicians, Parkland students, parents and a representative from the NRA. The program helped “advance the national conversation on gun control and violence,” the jury said.

Here is the entire CNN town hall in wake of Florida school shooting.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-FL), Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch and Broward county Sheriff Scott Israel answered questions from survivors of the school shooting at Stoneman Douglas high school shooting, teachers and parents of the victims.

Last year, there were 14 nominations for 12 reports about Las Vegas Massacre and other mass shootings at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards.  Parkland was not among them.  I suspect coverage of it will earn a lot of nominations at this year's ceremony.  This particular program might earn nominations for Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis and Outstanding News Special, although, as I wrote yesterday, "I am not going to hold my breath.  It's a long time until the end of July, when the nominees are announced, and the competition will be stiff."

By the way, my responses to the mass school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida included Instructions on how to deal with an active shooter, which became the eighth most read entry of the seventh year of the blog, The latest from Vox on the gun control debate, which included clips from this town hall, and Music at March For Our Lives.  These last two ended the eighth year of this blog as the 22nd and 25th most read entries between March 21, 2018 and March 20, 2019.  I will write a retrospective post about both of them plus Update to 'Doctors to Congress: Fund gun violence research at the CDC and NIH,' the third most read entry of the seventh year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, which was the 30th most read entry of the eighth year of the blog, in a special retrospective post about gun contol next month.

I might have more about the Cronkite Award winners next month as well.  In the meantime, stay tuned for a retrospective entry about Facebook knows your political affiliation and much more, the top post of the eighth year of the blog for Throwback Thursday and another retrospective about the most read retrospectives for Flashback Friday (how recursive!), followed by this year's celebration of Earth Hour.

Many states considering bills ending or keeping Daylight Saving Time permanently

Last year I told my readers to spring ahead for Daylight Saving Time even if you hate it.  It turned out that a lot of my readers dislike changing their clocks back and forth, making Daylight Saving Time (sucks) one of the themes for the most read entries during this blog's seventh year.  They're not alone.  Last fall, I wrote that four states were considering ending or keeping Daylight Saving Time permanently.  One of those states was California, where voters passed a proposition to remain in Daylight Saving Time year-round.  CBS 47/KSEE 24 in Fresno reported the results on its YouTube channel, the text of which I'm quoting here.

In November, California voters passed Proposition 7 by a 60-40 percent margin, paving the way for year-round daylight saving time in the nation's most populated state.

The proposition still needs a change in federal law and a two-thirds vote from the state legislature to go into effect, CBS Sacramento reports. Assembly Bill 7, proposed in December, has not yet been voted on by lawmakers, it has been referred to a committee.

Supporters pointed to a study showing an increased risk of car accidents and heart attacks following the spring change, due to the loss of an hour's sleep.

Opponents of the proposition argued that even if California voters and the legislature approve of year-round daylight saving, the hurdle of getting the federal government to approve is too high, considering the state's tense relationship with Washington.

They also say the switch will cause its own headaches. If California goes to year-round daylight saving, the sun wouldn't rise until 8 a.m. during some winter months, forcing children to walk to school or buses in darkness and likely leading to an increase in car and pedestrian accidents.

California isn't the only state that wishes to remain in Daylight Saving Time.  I also wrote about Florida's Sunshine Protection Act, which requires Congressional action to be implemented.  That hasn't happened yet, so Fox 4 in Naples/Ft. Myers reported Florida legislators push to make daylight savings time year-round.


CBS Miami has a better description.

A group of Florida lawmakers are tired of the Sunshine state springing forward and falling back every year. Senators Marco Rubio, Rick Scott and Representative Vern Buchanan have introduced legislation that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent, not only in Florida, but also across the country.

I normally don't support Republican-sponsored legislation, but in this case, I'm on Rubio's side.  After all, even a stuck clock is right twice a day, pun fully intended.

Those are the states that have taken a vote of one kind or another to stop changing clocks twice a year.  According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, twenty-six other states are considering joining them, either by staying on standard time year-round or changing to Daylight Saving Time year-round.  Follow over the jump for news clips and quotes from articles about those states.

Cuba trade restrictions drive one to drink on National Daiquiri Day 2018

After the Vox video I included in The history of U.S.-Cuba relations drives one to drink on National Mojito Day 2018, I observed that things didn't turn out as well as Vox had hoped.

Vox posted that video in 2016 and relations have chilled since then.  I'll save that for part 2, which I'll post on National Daiquiri Day 2017.

It's National Daiquiri Day, a celebration of another Cuban drink, so it's also time for me to continue with an examination of U.S.-Cuba relations.

In November 2017, CBS Miami reported U.S. Tightens Restrictions On Cuba Travel, Business & Trade.

CBS Miami's Eliott Rodriguez reports on new changes to the U.S. business, travel and trade policies with Cuba.

Trump mostly reversed Obama's lifting of the trade and travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba.  While that was generally popular with Cuban-Americans in Florida, it did hurt some Americans.  KARK reported in June on their Senators' and Representatives' efforts to ease restrictions in Pro-Cuba Trade Lawmakers Hope to Open up Cuban Market to American Farmers.


Arkansas wasn't the only state involved.  The High Plains-Midwest Ag Journal quoted Senators from Kansas and Minnesota who also wanted to ease restrictions for agricultural imports.

“With an open market to Cuba, Kansas could top $55 million in additional sales. While we are renegotiating our trade deals, we have a $2 billion market untouched right under our nose. It is time to throw support behind this mutually beneficial economic opportunity. It is through leadership in Congress, and discussions like this roundtable that we will begin to make these lasting changes,” [Representative from Kansas Roger] Marshall said.
...
“I’m grateful to have participated in this important discussion. The time to begin renewing our relationship with our neighbors just 90 miles off the Florida coast is now. With American farmers suffering some of the lowest commodity prices we have ever seen, Congress has an opportunity to take action and make real change,” [Representative from Minnesota Tom] Emmer said.

“The Cuba Agricultural Exports Act, sponsored by Rep. Crawford, would lift financing restrictions imposed by the embargo on agriculture exports. The result would be relief for our farmers and a first step toward redefining the American-Cuban relationship. While my bill, the Cuba Trade Act, accomplishes the ultimate goal or lifting the embargo completely, passing Rep. Crawford’s bill can, and should, happen immediately.”

Unfortunately, as Politico reported, Senate farm bill stalled by Rubio's Cuba crusade.

The Florida Republican on Wednesday declared on Twitter that he’d block any new amendments to the farm bill unless the Senate votes to strike a provision that would allow USDA funding for foreign market development programs to be spent in Cuba — or until senators adopt his proposal to ban U.S. taxpayer dollars from being spent on businesses owned by the Cuban military.

In the end, the House and Senate passed different versions of the Farm Bill, so it's going to a conference between the two chambers to reach a compromise.*

Meanwhile, as the Miami Herald reported just yesterday, Miami Democrat says Cuba visit reinforced need to lift embargo.

David Richardson, a state representative who for the last six years has represented Miami Beach and Little Havana, spent roughly 36 hours in Cuba this week, returning to Miami on Tuesday night. He said his visit — focused on meetings with local business owners and members of the country’s gay community — reinforced his opinion that the trade embargo put in place after Fidel Castro’s revolution has been counterproductive.

“We need to lift the embargo,” Richardson told the Miami Herald. “I absolutely believe that the people in Cuba are being harmed right now because of this policy. We need to lift the embargo so that ordinary citizens can be empowered and through their empowerment they will change policy in Cuba. It’s ridiculous or nonsense for us to believe that a continuation of a failed policy that’s 60 years old is going to somehow change the minds of the Cuban regime.”

All of this is enough to drive one to drink.

On that note, follow over the jump for two daiquiri recipes from Tipsy Bartender.

The Trumpenstein Munsters

When my wife said that "the torches and pitchforks came out for the Trumpenstein monster last night," my first response was to write The torches and pitchforks came out for Trump last night and call the incident "a Weimar moment" in my comment to Bull Run at Kunstler's blog.  That was a serious response that ignored the "Trumpenstein monster" part of my wife's remark.  Now for a silly one that puts that phrase front and center, The Republican Munsters.


For good measure, here's Ted Cruz as Grandpa, along with my favorite Republican as Eddie Munster, Paul Ryan.


Keep laughing, because it hurts too much to cry.

All those endorsements couldn't save Marco Rubio

It's time to be a good environmentalist and recycle two comments from earlier this month.

Paul W.:Stop trying to make him happen, Republicans, Rubio is not gonna happen.

ME: As for "Little Marco," I predict he'll lose Florida and then drop out. If Kasich wins Ohio, then he'll have the establishment/moderate vote all to himself from here on out.

That's exactly what happened last night.  CNN reports in Marco Rubio drops out of presidential race.

Marco Rubio drops out of the presidential race after losing his home state of Florida to Donald Trump. He warned his party not to play on people's frustrations.

All those endorsements of Rubio couldn't put him over the top; no wonder the smart money abandonded him.  Look at all the endorsements as of six days ago from FiveThirtyEight.


All that establishment support may have earned Rubio wins in Minnesota and D.C. and higher placements in a few states, especially South Carolina, but that's it.

Now look at the endorsements for the remaining candidates in both parties, again from FiveThirtyEight.


Hey, look, the Agenda 21 conspiracy theorist is number one--the establishment's worst nightmare!  At least I can be reassured that being an establishment candidate has not done any Republican candidate much good this year.  On the other hand, it's still working for Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, but that's a story for another entry.

Follow over the jump for the reactions from Cruz and Kasich, plus a farewell toast to Marco.

Examiner.com article on Kasich (maybe) pulling ahead of Trump in Michigan

John Kasich, seen here at the Fox News debate in Detroit, is ahead of Donald Trump in one poll of Michigan voters.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Most recently conducted poll shows Kasich ahead of Trump in Michigan

The first poll conducted entirely after the Fox News debate in Detroit showed New York real estate developer Donald Trump no longer leading in Michigan.  Instead, Ohio Governor John Kasich had gained a narrow lead in the race for the Republican nomination for President in the Great Lakes State.

The Columbus Dispatch reported the results of an American Research Group poll that surveyed 400 likely Republican voters on March 4 and March 5. It found Kasich the most popular choice with thirty-three percent, Trump in second with thirty-one percent, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in third with fifteen percent, and Marco Rubio of Florida in last with twelve percent.  It was the first survey of Michigan voters after both the debate and the Detroit News endorsement of Kasich for the March 8 Michigan Republican Presidential primary, both of which occurred on March 3.

FiveThirtyEight Editor-in-Chief Nate Silver told readers in his live reporting of Saturday's primary returns that they should be skeptical of these findings.  He wrote that American Research Group was "not a highly-rated pollster," ranking near the bottom of his site's rankings.  They "sometimes post results that are way different from the pack," making them "interesting more often than they’re accurate."

More at the link, including a continuation of Nate's analysis, the results of two more polls, and a video of Kasich saying he thinks he'll do well in Michigan.  Yes, I'm pushing Kasich, but the news is actually in his favor.  Besides, if I were still a Republican, I'd vote for him.

Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment entry, which may be delayed until anywhere between tomorrow and Thurssday.  That's happened before.

Examiner.com article on Rubio falling out of second in Michigan

Marco Rubio, seen here on the left of Donald Trump the other candidates at the Republican debate in Detroit, has fallen behind Ted Cruz in two polls, one of which also had John Kasich ahead of Rubio.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rubio falls out of second in Michigan behind Cruz with Kasich gaining

While New York real estate developer Donald Trump still leads in Michigan, the race for second place continues to develop.  Two polls taken after Super Tuesday show that Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has fallen out of second place and is being passed by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Governor John Kasich of Ohio, as Evangelicals and the youngest voters move from Rubio to Cruz, middle-aged voter shift from Rubio to Trump, and older voters change from Rubio to Kasich and Trump.

A poll of 1643 likely Republican primary voters by the Trafalgar Group conducted on March 2 and March 3 and released overnight between March 3 and March 4 found Trump leading with 41.87 percent, Cruz second at 20.45 percent, Kasich third with 18.14 percent, and Rubio fourth at 13.79 percent with 5.75 percent undecided.  A Mitchell/Fox 2 Detroit poll of 543 likely voters taken March 2 and released March 3 reported similar findings with the main difference being Rubio in third, ahead of Kasich by only one percent.

“There were several changes resulting from Super Tuesday including a small bump up in Trump's support (42%) and a big change in the second spot as Cruz (19%) and Rubio (15%) changed places and percentages.  Cruz moved up 5% and Rubio dropped 4%.  Kasich (14%) moved up 2% and was also helped by the awareness that Carson was not debating and that he ‘could not see a path forward’ for his campaign,” Steve Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Research & Communications said in a press release, comparing the results to the Mitchell/Fox 2 Detroit poll taken on March 1, a day earlier.  “It appears that Trump’s more conciliatory style in his Tuesday night press conference, Cruz’s four victories, and Rubio’s failure to meet expectations have changed the race.”

This is the polling story I said I'd write about in 'Dump Trump' and 'Arrest Snyder' at the Detroit Republican Debate.  Lots of analysis of where Rubio is losing his support at the link along with a video recap of Thursday's debate.  As for the fresh angle, I decided that who was moving in and out of second was more interesting than another "Trump leads" story--boring!

Examiner.com article on Clinton and Kasich endorsements

Hillary Clinton and John Kasich earned the endorsements of both the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press.

Clinton and Kasich endorsed by both Detroit daily newspapers

The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press agree on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and current Ohio Governor John Kasich.  This week, Detroit's major daily newspapers endorsed both candidates for their parties' nominations in advance of Michigan's presidential primary election on March 8.
...
The two papers each had kind words for one other candidate.  The Detroit News said that Senator Marco Rubio of Florida "has considerable promise, and a compelling story."  Of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, The Free Press wrote that they "admire the passion and energy Sanders has brought to his populist crusade, and the often-cartoonish 2016 presidential campaign has benefited immensely from his tenacity in dragging the crucial issues of income inequality and campaign finance to center stage."

As well as agreeing on the merits of Clinton and Kasich, both newspapers agreed on the undesirability of New York real estate developer Donald Trump as a candidate.  The Detroit News predicted "the damage a Trump nomination would do to the Republican Party is incalculable."  The Free Press's assessment was even more dire, writing that if Trump were nominated, "the nation will face an electoral crisis of conscience and morality that it hasn't seen since the 1960s."

More at the link, including quotes from both newspapers in support of Clinton and Kasich and the actual photograph I used along with a video of former President of Mexico Vicente Fox endorsing Clinton over Trump and Sanders.

I know I hinted that I would write about the debate in Examiner.com article on Kasich campaigning in Michigan, but I decided that writing about yoga and penis jokes just didn't appeal to me.  Instead, I fell back into writing about one of the four subjects I like best, endorsements.  The others are polls, local campaign appearances, and minor parties.  I've already written a lot about polls and campaign events.  Since it's too early for the minor parties to make news this cycle, it was time for an endorsement story.

As for what's next, I'm feeling like writing about the protests outside the Fox Theatre last night instead of the debate itself.  Stay tuned.

Sanders, Rubio, and Kasich campaign in Michigan

Now that Super Tuesday is over and Ben Carson has effectively dropped out, it's time for the remaining candidates to campaign in Michigan in advance of the debates and primary.  Yesterday felt familiar, featuring Bernie Sanders, John Kasich, and Marco Rubio stumping across the state.  WOOD-TV has the overall story in Super Tuesday survivors focus on MI voters.

With Super Tuesday behind them, presidential candidates are turning their eyes — and campaign buses — toward Michigan.

WOOD-TV had even more to say about Sanders in Sen. Bernie Sanders holds rally in East Lansing.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders held a campaign rally on Michigan State University campus Wednesday.

MLive reported on Sanders' speech in Bernie Sanders tells Michigan State crowd to fight for change, support him.

EAST LANSING, MI – Young people who participate in the political process can make changes that seem impossible now, Sen. Bernie Sanders told thousands of students and community members gathered at the Breslin Center in East Lansing Wednesday.

Sanders said several years ago people would have thought gay marriage, a black president or a $15 per hour minimum wage was impossible. But these things happened because of a groundswell, not a top-down approach.

"The point is that is how change takes place. Have a vision, be prepared to fight for that vision, understand that it won't come overnight but keep your eye on the prize and we can make extraordinary things happen," Sanders said.

The speech sounds very similar to the one he gave in Ypsilanti last month.  Just the same, the crowd ate it up.  Because of this, I'll repeat my prediction about the primary results--"I expect Sanders to win Washtenaw County, Isabella County, Ingham County, and the Upper Peninsula, but that's about it."  Add in Kalamazoo County to include all the big college towns in Michigan and that should about cover it.

As for what's coming next, I promise I'll deal with the Islamophobia of Trump's supporters mentioned in Springtime for Trump.  I'll also have an Examiner.com article tonight or tomorrow.  The obvious subject is Kasich's phoned-in (literally) campaign event in Ann Arbor, but I'm not feeling it.  I'm more up for debate coverage.  That will probably draw more eyeballs.

Second Examiner.com article on Michigan polls

Sanders and Clinton shaking hands
Hillary Clinton, seen here at the most recent debate with Bernie Sanders, leads the Democratic primary contest in Michigan by thirty-four points according to a Mitchell/Fox 2 Detroit Poll released February 25, 2016.
Win McNamee/Getty Images.

Clinton and Trump maintain double-digit leads in latest Michigan polls

Two polls released this week show both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and New York real estate magnate Donald Trump holding their leads in Michigan ten days in advance of the state's presidential primary on March 8.  The polls indicate that Clinton and Trump appear likely to receive more than twice as many votes as their closest competition, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for Clinton and Florida Senator Marco Rubio for Trump.

The Mitchell/Fox 2 Detroit Poll released Thursday, February 25, surveyed both Democrats and Republicans.  It showed that Clinton leads Sanders by thirty-four percent in the Michigan Democratic primary contest, sixty-five percent to thirty-one percent with only four percent undecided.
...
On the Republican side, Trump has maintained his double-digit lead over Rubio and the rest of the remaining field.  Trailing Rubio are Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Ohio Governor John Kasich, and neurosurgeon Ben Carson, formerly of Michigan, now from Florida.

More at the link, including highlights of the most recent Target Insyght poll and quotes about both the Democratic and Republican contests.

Follow over the link for my recycled commentary on the Democratic contest in Michigan.

The endorsements pour in for Rubio, but the smart money isn't so sure

With the departures of Chris Christie and especially Jeb Bush, the "Establishment lane" to the Republican nomination presents a clear choice between John Kasich/A> and Marco Rubio, and the Establishment has chosen Rubio.

After the Iowa Caucuses, I wrote the smart money and endorsements were more for Rubio than ever.  At that time, Rubio had just passed Bush.  Now, Rubio has shot up from 58 endorsement points to 137 as I write this with more than half of those (72) coming in the past two weeks.  Not only is Rubio in the lead by a wide margin, more than 100 points ahead of Ted Cruz's 22 and Kasich's 20, he's passed both where Ronald Reagan and John McCain were at this point in their campaigns.  The Party has decided on Rubio.

Normally, that would be it, as only one candidate in the past 36 years led in endorsements at this stage of the campaign yet failed to earn the nomination.  That was Dick Gephardt in 1988, who eventually lost the nomination to Mike Dukakis.*  The contrary historical precedent is that no Republican who has won both New Hampshire and South Carolina has failed to win the nomination.  This favors Trump.  Follow over the jump for how the smart money is reacting to that.

Examiner.com article on Michigan Primary polls

Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, seen here at the ABC debate in New Hampshire, are currently first and second in polls of Michigan Republicans.

Two polls show Trump and Clinton leading in Michigan

On the eve of the first in the nation New Hampshire Primary, two polls of Michigan primary voters show New York real estate magnate Donald Trump leading the Republican candidates and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leading Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas trail Trump in both polls.

On Monday, February 8, Fox 2 Detroit published the results of a Mitchell Research and Communications poll of 330 likely Republican primary voters and 321 likely Democratic primary voters.  The Mitchell/Fox 2 Detroit poll found that Trump had a two to one lead over Rubio and Cruz, with Trump at forty-one percent and Rubio at twenty percent and Cruz at sixteen percent.
...
In the Democratic nomination contest, the Mitchell/Fox 2 Detroit poll found Clinton leading Sanders two to one as well.  She had 57 percent support with Sanders trailing at 28 percent.

Much more at the link, including details of the Mitchell/Fox 2 Detroit poll, results from an Inside Michigan Politics poll released last Friday, quotes from both pollsters, and a video of Hillary Clinton talking about the Flint Water Crisis.

Now that I've made good on my promise to post another entry promoting a new Examiner.com article, stay tuned for a post about Paczki Day, which is tomorrow.  The cavalcade of holidays continues!